


raise your head, keep it above water

by Oliraki



Series: ShinDrift Week [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Angry Kissing, Biting, Danger Kink, Dom/sub Undertones, Drifter's fear boner, Frenemies with Benefits, Hand Jobs, Identity Issues, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, enemies to frenemies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-16 15:02:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19320559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oliraki/pseuds/Oliraki
Summary: Once, Zyre Orsa guarded Wu Ming's back. Once, Dredgen Vale guarded Dredgen Hope from an untimely death. Once, the Renegade guarded Drifter by stepping between him and a pissed off Titan.Then, Shin Malphur confronted Drifter instead.





	raise your head, keep it above water

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1: Guard/Protect  
> Written for #ShinDriftWeek on Twitter
> 
> This is the first time I've written anything in the past half a year and I'm so sorry for not doing these dumbasses any justice.
> 
> | Edited 13/08/2019 to fix a few grammar mistakes.

The first time Orsa met Wu Ming, it had been an accident — sure, there was nothing that would make him admit it, but that didn't make it any less true. He'd been chasing after whispers on Nessus, certain that they weren't what he was looking for, but too prideful nonetheless to leave it alone or for someone else to handle. Another's presence this far from the usual paths, the most used ones, wasn't what he expected. Going by the way the Lightbearer stalled at his approach — had to be a Lightbearer, it was clear in his stance, in the air around him — it wasn't something that happened often, this far back.

He hadn't survived what he had for nothing, though, and as such Zyre Orsa wasn't a stranger to improvising. Slowly, he shifted his stance to something a bit more relaxed, as if not bothered by the Lightbearer's calculating look. Orsa raised his hands up to make it clear that he wasn't gonna pull a gun out, hoping that the risk would be worth it — or that the knife tucked between the straps of his gauntlet would go unnoticed.

It took longer for Wu Ming to back out, long enough that Orsa started thinking all the calculating the other Lightbearer was doing wasn't because he was seen as a  _ threat. _ He answered the stare with a challenging tilt of his helmet, which annoyingly enough only made the other snort and return to his scavenging. Apparently his passiveness was satisfying to the point of not worrying about Orsa shooting the back of his head.

"Don't see a lot of people going through here", Wu Ming informed helpfully, as if that explained everything. Orsa scowled, the expression safely hidden behind his helmet, before lowering his hands to cross them against his chest — his fingers itched for the comforting weight of the hand cannon against his thigh, but he wouldn't risk drawing it now. If it came to it, the Lightbearer would expect him to go for the obvious and draw his gun. Would be safer to rely on hidden knives, threaded with familiar Solar Light.

"That's probably because you're elbow deep in Vex at the darkest corner of Nessus", Orsa deadpanned, deciding that he had been passive for long enough before venturing closer to the other Lightbearer to see what, exactly, the man was doing — he took note of how Wu Ming's shoulders drew tighter, as if he was readying himself up for a fight. He also took note of how he didn't try to start one, despite it. A short, half smothered laugh was the only response at first, seeing as Wu Ming was carefully trying to avoid getting radiolarian fluid all over his clothes.

"If you're so worried, brother, might as well just stand guard." The jab was most likely meant to make Orsa bristle, but he could only see an opportunity in it. He needed to lay low right now anyways, avoid getting too much of a spotlight on his name and it was easier to do by adopting a new one — by moving in circles he usually wouldn't. Orsa still itched to burn the people responsible for all the grief he had in him, now, but he was a Hunter. He knew how to take things slow and if this Lightbearer was offering an opportunity to direct his anger elsewhere...

Apparently his silence had been taken as disapproval, though, since as soon as he reached for the scout rifle at his back, Wu Ming was reaching for the gun tucked at his waist.

"Whoa, whoa, now just wait a minute—"

"Might as well," Orsa interrupted, paying him no mind as he swiftly checked the scope of the rifle, steadfastly ignoring the dumbfounded look on the Lightbearer's face. He did take great delight in being the cause of it, though. "'S not like I have anything better to do."

For a few seconds, it looked like Wu Ming would declare defeat in their war of words, if only to get rid of Orsa, but in the end he replaced the look with a smirk that  _ did _ manage to get Orsa's hackles up. He hid the reaction by harshly replacing the half empty magazine with a new one, though that was telling by itself in a way, anyways. Going by the flash of amusement in the Lightbearer's eyes, he hadn't missed it either.

"If you're sure, brother", Wu Ming drawled, slowly releasing the hold he had on the hand cannon at his waist. He made a show of giving a new once over to Orsa but this time? This time, he didn't know how to feel about it — something in the look was different, now, but he didn't have enough time to pinpoint what it was before the Lightbearer was already turning back to his scavenged items. "Guess that means you're gonna stick around. Name's Wu Ming."

He had a feeling that if he were to _ stick around _ , guarding wouldn't be the only thing he'd be doing. Orsa wasn't one to miss a detail, couldn't afford it in this game he was playing, and Wu Ming hadn't even tried to hide the interest in his eyes from the second they'd met. If he wanted to bail out, it'd be better to do it now rather than later, when he was at risk of getting recognized.

"In that case, call me Zyre Orsa."

* * *

 

The next time they met, it was under different names. They had parted ways long before, right back on the Nessus. Neither of them had seen the need to stick around each other for any longer — Zyre Orsa had gotten his brief distraction during those few weeks and Wu Ming had gotten someone to watch his back.

Now, as Vale looked at the defiant expression on Hope's face, he wasn't sure what to think. The main reason why he had decided to leave, despite his personal interest having been roused by the Lightbearer, was exactly this — Shadows of Yor. He couldn't risk someone connecting the dots and the longer Vale spent time around Hope, the bigger the chance got.

He had left. He'd left, but hadn't accounted for Hope's unpredictability.

"You say you.. found him?" With a tilt of his head, Vale turned to address Bane with something akin to amusement — he should be more surprised by it, surely, if only because Dredgen Vale wasn't supposed to be familiar with this Lightbearer at all.

"A stowaway. In your ship", the amusement coloring his tone turned mocking in a matter of seconds, gentle in it's own way — perhaps that made it worse, going by the flinch Bane couldn't hide from him in time. The way Bane seemed to seek his approval could become an issue later, but for now, it had many uses.

But _ this _ ? This was a situation he hadn't prepared for, because no one in their right mind would sneak aboard a Shadow's ship. They hadn't been around for long yet, had avoided the public's eye until they were ready, but whispers ran about all the same — that was part of the game. The game Vale had unthinkingly started the moment he shot down Yor with a flaming bullet, full of grief and anger. The game he had fully embraced when he traced the steps that same man had walked. He had expected for others to follow in Yor's footsteps, but this... this was reckless and didn't that just perfectly describe the man before him?

"Been hearing interesting things." Hope interrupted the silent standoff as if he wasn't under any threat at all. When Vale turned his attention back to the Lightbearer, he did look like the part as well, despite the gun Bane had aimed at his head — but the way those shoulders drew tighter by the second? It was familiar, and he almost wanted to laugh. "The kind that got me convinced."

Humming, Vale considered his options. He knew first hand the kind of trouble Hope was, if only a fraction of it — he'd been right the first time, when he had thought that guarding wouldn't be the only thing he'd be doing. Yet, wasn't this game of his all about taking risks?

"Obviously interesting enough to risk your life for", Vale murmured as he closed the distance, stopping only at the edge of Hope's personal space. He stayed there for a few minutes, silent, to watch how the Lightbearer would react to the obvious threat hanging between them — only to reach up with a gloved hand to nudge Bane's gun away.

Later, when Dredgen Vale watched Hope kneel on the ground with hands covering bloodied ears, he didn't know what to feel. The whispering at Vale's own ears increased but as he steadfastly ignored the blood running down his neck, he couldn't make sense of what they were saying.

The risk was worth it, in the end. It was worth it even when Hope walked away from him. It needed to be.

* * *

 

When the Renegade met Drifter, he had already made peace with his decisions. He had come to terms with everything he had done as Orsa, as Vale, and he was self-aware enough to know that he had grown too used to all the lying. That didn't make it any less shocking to truly realize it, when Renegade saw Drifter scouting out a mostly abandoned Cabal base. Didn't stop him from second guessing himself immediately after he introduced himself as just a pal, a Renegade.

He tried to smother that feeling as quick as he could, took it out on the remaining Cabal with knives covered in Solar Light and a pulse rifle that was too heavy in his hands.

Renegade spent enough time around Drifter to start noticing things, after helping him clear out the space for a new Gambit map. He stuck around, desperately wanting to see this new yet familiar side of Wu Ming, of Hope, but unwilling to admit it. It was all well and good for him to notice things, it was expected of him — of a Hunter. Nobody would think nothing of it. Renegade watched everyone, but he was treading dangerous waters with Drifter because the things he noticed? They were mundane, or as mundane you could get with Drifter.

They had yet to find something that Drifter wouldn't eat if it was edible. A few memorable times the Lightbearer had even tried to eat non-edible things, which was a mess that he never wanted to repeat again. He liked to fiddle with his jade coins whenever he was thinking, which was a little too endearing in the Renegade's mind. He couldn't afford to slip up now, this close to the end, and personal feelings more often than not were the cause of such things.

Then there was Drifter's strange protectiveness of his Gambit regulars. It wasn't that obvious by any means, or Renegade would've saved them all the trouble and shot the Lightbearer himself. Instead, he slowly pieced together the clues, if only because he had nothing better to do than to look at Drifter — he was waiting, for the whispers and the Shadows, and Drifter... It was easy to fall into a rhythm, even if it was one-sided.

"Wouldn't have taken you for someone to be soft with them", the Renegade called out one day, after the last Guardian left with their new bounties. He idly adjusted his place on the beams of the Annex, amused that all he got for his troubles was a swift glare. A little to the side of him, as if Drifter couldn't pinpoint his exact location. It was one of the reasons why the Renegade had chosen this exact spot — only one of them, but obviously the most important one.

"Don't wanna hear that from someone who's afraid of showing his face to a few kids", Drifter drawled back, flicking the jade coin in his hand to the nearby table. He turned to look at the Renegade as he dropped down onto the floor a few feet away from him. Drifter had been around the guy long enough to know that the tilt of his helmet meant the Renegade was scowling and wasn't that one hell of a thought? If Drifter could picture his expressions so clearly, despite never having seen the Hunter's face... He didn't particularly like it, meant he was getting a bit too comfortable.

"Y'know, you can just tell me that you're shy. I won't judge—" Drifter's words were interrupted as Renegade swiftly closed the distance between them. By backing the Lightbearer against the railing, he essentially managed to trap Drifter with hands on each side of him. The position made him bristle, if only slightly, but he was far too used to it by now to show it.

"Someone's in a feisty mood", Drifter continued, nonplussed, and the way it irked Renegade said a lot about him. He lifted one hand away from the railing and placed it onto Drifter's waist instead, ever so slowly tugging his robe open with clever fingers. It wasn't the first time they'd gotten a little feisty and most likely not the last, considering the restless energy between them hadn't dimmed at all. 

"You talk too much", Renegade deadpanned back, tilting his head mockingly as Drifter grinned at him. He could practically taste the Lighbearer's response, could easily imagine the  _ then make me keep quiet _ . As he was about to answer to the silent dare, the sound of footsteps made him pause and as soon he registered someone was heading towards them, the Renegade stepped away from Drifter's personal space. Instead, he leaned against the nearby table, snatching up the discarded jade coin almost out of habit. When the owner of the steps entered through the little doorway, Renegade slipped the coin into his pocket and gave the situation his full attention.

Huh. It wasn't unusual for Guardians to seek out Drifter even when there were no matches listed. He hadn't seen this person play Gambit before, though — in fact, he was pretty sure this Titan stuck mostly with Crucible. Shifting, the Hunter curled his fingers around the hilt of a knife, hidden between the folds of his armor. The Titan was walking with a clear purpose in mind and if she wasn't here for Gambit, then she was here for Drifter.

"What can I do for you, sister?" Drifter didn't seem worried at all by the sudden, unusual appearance of a Guardian that had never touched Gambit before. Neither did he seem at all bothered by the interruption she'd caused, which was both amusing and annoying.

"You're trouble. You're getting my friend into trouble." Well, that explained why she was here — it wasn't the first time Drifter had been threatened. Certainly wouldn't be the last, but this would need an intervention, considering the Titan's fists were sparking with arc light. Before Drifter could open his mouth and make the situation worse, Renegade stepped between him and the Titan, like the fool he was.

"I'm sure we can settle this peacefully."

* * *

 

It was cruelly funny, how the most carefully laid plans sometimes didn't work out. No matter the amount of time Shin Malphur had spent on planning, no matter how much he prepared, it all fell apart because of want. He wanted, but that something — someone — ended up being the catalyst because he wasn't supposed to want for nothing but the end of Darkness.

In the end his game ended because Shin was, at his core, an improviser. He had planned for most things, sure, but most of those plans had been discarded in favor of improvising himself out of the situation — or sometimes, into it. When he saw an opportunity, he took it, and it was no different now.

The Guardian was smart, knew how to keep themselves above the water. They had lost their Light and came out of that horror with their head held high, with their gun aimed at the next enemy of humanity. It was surprisingly easy to let go of the con, of The Last Word — he didn't know how the Guardian would play the game, but their grip was sure. That had to be enough.

Shin Malphur had been foolish before. Strange, how all of those times seemed to include Drifter in one manner or another. He could practically taste the Ghost's disapproval as he landed his ship on the Tower's hangar and slipped into old gear he hadn't worn in so long — it had always been about putting up a show, of making sure his gear matched the persona. In this moment, it didn't matter what he wore. That.. that was refreshing.

He didn't gather much attention as he walked past the people, his steps deceptively sure as he headed for the Annex — the sound of footsteps echoing brought up memories of the last time he'd been here. How he had stepped between a Titan and Drifter, fully aware that the man could take care of himself. Foolish, like he'd said.

"Sorry, brother, there's no matches going on right now." Drifter spared him only a glance before turning back to his— blueprints? He wasn't sure, with how half of them were covered and hidden beneath crates full of scavenged parts. The sight was achingly familiar, but Shin tried his best to ignore how his heartbeat was out of order and instead snapped his fingers loudly to gather the Lightbearer's full attention.

When Drifter turned to look at him, Shin thought for a fleeting moment that he'd get shot right then and there. He hadn't worn a helmet — that was the purpose of this, no more pretending — but there was no recognition in Drifter's eyes.

That.. made this slightly more difficult. In so many ways.

"Not here for Gambit", Shin said after a few minutes of too much silence. His response made Drifter's eyebrows furrow and the way he slowly inched his hand closer to Trust on the worktable made it clear that he hadn't forgotten the last time someone didn't come here for Gambit.

He'd passed the game forward. Gave up the hunt, decided to let the Guardian be the judge and the fury — he'd done it because one of the most obvious things about them was the they could keep their head above the water.

Shin Malphur couldn't. He was drowning, and he was doing it willingly while treading lines he wouldn't have before.

"I'm sure we can settle this peacefully." An echo of one of the last things he'd ever said as Renegade. It had been letters, after that. Slowly, Shin reached into his pocket to dig out the jade coin he had stolen not long ago.

Drifter scowled, no doubt coming to the right realization. Shin may have stolen his necklace out of habit without giving it much of a thought, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of what exactly he had stolen — hell, he'd been the reason why the cord had needed replacing, to begin with. Told a lot about him and his bad habits.

"The hell you want?" Drifter didn't sound too happy about the current situation, but while he did have his hand around Trust, he hadn't tried to shoot Shin yet. That had to mean something and it did give him a certain amount of eagerness to explain himself — he hadn't outfitted himself with a new hand cannon yet, and he'd rather not see if he could throw a knife faster than Drifter could shoot.

"I'm not after you. Never was", Shin informed, keeping his tone calm as he took slow steps forward. The last time he'd seen the familiar tightening of Drifter's shoulders, he had wanted to laugh — now, he missed the familiarity he'd had with the Lightbearer when he'd only been a Renegade.

"Yeah? Prove it."

"I could've killed you before, if I wanted to." It was risky to bring it up, to remind Drifter of all the times he had slept with The Man With The Golden Gun. About of all the times Shin had thrown the man on his back, of how Drifter had been eager for it back then. To remind him of it now of all times was one of the reasons why he'd decided to give up the long con — his improvisations had become more risky, nowadays. The game needed delicate work.

And suddenly, Drifter had Trust leveled at Shin's unprotected face. He stopped his slow advance, didn't move an inch. Not to even bring his hands up, make his surrender clear.

The glint in Drifter's eyes was wild, as if Shin had backed him into a corner — he almost wanted to point out that Drifter had the upper hand here, what with him being unarmed, but he was sure that would do more harm than good.

Zyre Orsa had watched Wu Ming's back, had picked apart the nervous habit of hunching up his shoulders whenever he felt threatened. Dredgen Vale had watched Hope bleed on the floor, fingers stained with his own blood, as he tried to make sense of the whispers. Renegade had watched Drifter at his most comfortable.

Shin Malphur was a foolish man. As he took a sudden step forward, he reached for the collar of Drifter's jacket instead of the Trust in his hands and pulled the Lightbearer into an angry kiss. He had to bank on the knowledge he'd gathered from watching Drifter over the years, had to risk it and hope _ this _ hadn't changed. That Drifter still tried to avoid violence, despite being good at it.

The way Drifter stiffened almost made Shin pull back, but that went out of the window as soon as Drifter bit his lip with vengeance. Shin welcomed it, the sting of it and the coppery taste of blood as he placed his free hand on Drifter's waist. Only for the Lightbearer to grab hold of his wrist, Trust now abandoned, and push him against the worktable harshly — Drifter still looked one step away from shooting him, but Shin let himself be handled easy and ever so slowly, the tension in Drifter's shoulders relaxed.

"You're crazy", Drifter snarled against his lips, knocking Shin's knees apart so he could fit his leg between them. He still had a grip on Shin's wrist, felt like it would bruise later, but the way Drifter tilted his neck to the side so he could work on Shin's neck was almost tender — as if Drifter couldn't decide between being one or another.

One of the good things about wearing a helmet was that Shin could always mute himself, to keep from giving Drifter the satisfaction of hearing him react to the harsh bites and kisses. Now, he had to rely on willpower, which was easily defeated by Drifter finally releasing his wrist to work on Shin's belts instead.

"Takes one to know another", Shin gasped out, tugging his gloves off while Drifter was busy with his belts, before going for the robe the Lightbearer was wearing. Again, his advances were stopped as Drifter caught both of his wrist with one hand, forcing Shin to bend backwards against the table as he slammed their hands against it with one smooth movement. Shin blinked slowly, before easing into it.  _ If that's how you want to play it... _

Drifter took his belts apart with an efficiency Shin wasn't used to be in the receiving end of from him. He was used to all the quips and comments, to Drifter never being quiet — he was used to be allowed to  _ touch _ . The strange part of it was that Shin... wasn't exactly opposed to this, either.

Just as Shin was going to complain about the slow pace, Drifter rocked his hips against him and Shin couldn't smother moan in time. He almost scowled at the smirk he could feel against his neck, arching into the smooth motion of hips rocking against each other, breath hitching as Drifted bit the tender spot below ear in response.

They didn't have much privacy here, right in the middle of the Annex, and Shin hadn't even realized to close the gate leading here — a quickie wasn't what he'd expected when he came down here, but Shin wasn't exactly complaining. Apparently Drifter realized their their privacy problem as well, as he didn't waste any time in yanking his pants down to his knees so he could get a hand around Shin's cock.

"Come on", Shin breathed out, hasty, as he hooked a leg around Drifter. For a few seconds he thought that would be shoved off as well, but instead Drifter stroked Shin with a grip bordering on too tight. It made Shin tremble, made him flex his fingers which made Drifter grip his wrists tighter in an effort to get him to stay put — didn't matter, because it didn't take long for it all to become too much. Shin bit his lip to keep as quiet as possible, slumping against the table as Drifter released his wrists and backed away from him. Shin had been wound up from the moment he'd decided to go for the reveal, and all...  _ this _ between them hadn't exactly helped either.

This wouldn't be the last of it, Shin was sure. They hadn't resolved the tension between them, not really, and Drifter had to know that Shin wouldn't be walking away this time. But that was the thing, wasn't it? Shin had so much time on his hands now, that he barely knew what to do with it. They had time to untangle this mess a bit, and Shin was determined to do it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
